FAMILY-HONED
TRADITION: COLORFUL
CREATIONSPigskin glass
transforms recycled
window panes into
captivating art
Eye magnets is a good
way to describe Tejas
deco Art's vibrantly
colored glass art. In
fact, the pigskin glass
pieces are so
mesmerizing that Robert
Ornelas, one of the
company's co-owners,
couldn't get them out of
his mind after seeing
them for the first time.
Ornelas and his wife
were at an outdoor art
show near their home in
Texas when they met
Manuel Silva, the
artist. "We knew we
liked it the minute we
saw it," Ornelas said of
the round, square,
rectangular and oval
glass plates.
"It
took us an hour to pick
one." Ornelas kept in
touch with Silva and a
few years later they
decided to become
partners and expand the
business. Silva remains
the primary artist while
Ornelas handles the
business and marketing
aspects. Silva learned
the art from his family
and has been making
pigskin glass pieces for
about 25 years. He is a
third-generation artist
and learned the craft in
southern Mexico, where
he was born; it is a
family tradition. The
art was very popular in
Mexico in the 1960s, but
faded from the scene
about 20 years ago. To
create the pieces, Silva
places a screen mesh in
a mold. Then, he applies
a reflective foil and
colorful paints, which
is topped by glass. The
piece is fired in a
kiln, where the heat
causes the colors to mix
and slumps the glass to
seal everything
together. According to
Ornelas, the art is
called pigskin glass
because it used to have
pig skin glued to the
back to cover the burnt
look that resulted from
the firing process.
Today, however, instead
of the pig skin, the
backs are painted black.
"We're making the world
a little prettier one
plate at a time," he
said. Not only is the
glass beautiful to look
at, it's environmentally
friendly as well.
Ornelas said the art is
created out of recycled
window glass and
water-based paint.Pigskin
glass plates are
colorful and unique. The
firing process ensures
that no two pieces are
alike.